Improvement in harvesters



Z Sheets-Sheet l.

W. F. GOOIDWIN.

HARVES'IER. No.176,4:02. Patented April 18, 1876.

2 Shets-Sheet z.

W. F. GOODWIN.

HARVESTER.

liwmbz' Patented Apri118, 1876.

iii;

' N, PETERS, FHOTO-LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGYON P C.

PATENT (Dr-Farce.

WILLIAM F. GOODWIN, 'OF STELTON, NEW JERSEY.

'PRO'V E'M ENT LIN 'HARVE'STERS.

Specification fd'rrning part of Letters PatentNo- 176,402, dated April 18, 1876; application filed March 14, 1876.

iflofdlltbhom it'a'nay concern "Be it' known that I ,'W'IIiLI-AM FARRGOOD- wri er Stelton,'in the county of Middlesexi ainF'State of New J ersey,= have invented-oer; 3 in new'and useful Improvements in Har-E "testers; and I do hereby declare thatthetbl-i ilow ing' 'is ia fdll, clear, andexactdescriptioul ""tl'lereoffwhi'ch willenfahle others skilledin.

-it'lie art -to which itlappertains to make and; *use'tue sam reference being had 1. to the acepanyin drawings, -and to lettersof refer:-

'cea'rked thereon, which =for1na partot' this igure 1' is aperspective view-,of myi mvedjmachine, Fig. Zis a detached iew,

ilar'ge'd,of thelever which is employedfor 'e' ouble purposeofrockingthe-cuttingapt usiiponjits.longitudinalaxis whenmow- "g,.a1id' off-"tilting the cuttin gapparatus backardtd-lock itirfa i i'cal, position. 'Fig. 3. isa "detached viewo the reciprocating-screw 1 o'velnnt, apart of th inclo'sing case-orishell be g brokemawa .jg;4 represents that par he' screw mechanism which'is keyed 'itoyandrotateswithythe nain axle. Fig. 5 ilflatmates the inethod of laying outthe. pat- 'ternsf froni'whichjtheIscrew'is cast. Fig-6 is a -"side' flew er? an '-'i'ts=si1pp0rt,with one of themouter p f 'f thef'ieciprocating-screw movement. ffEig. s a planer topl vje'w 0f the same. lflig.

8-i"s a'fside "View, partly in section, of "the dc Vices employed fordocking the driving-wheels 'to thein'ain axle,takenf from the outside of "flie -in achine, the "driving-wheels havin g ,becn

' "first removed. "Eig. 9 is a, plan viewl-ot' same, 'p irtlyi'in section. Eig.,1 0 is an edge viewof -ratchetf-fa'rm. FigQll is a side view ;ot' the 'Ei'gf12'is the wristpin which connects the pitiiian with the cutter-bar. Fig. 13rshows, 'afifiodifi'cation of the reciprocatingscrew.

InQthedrawin'gs, A Ajare thedrivin gwheels, 'fiiouuted'loosely'uponthe axle A, the rim of each wh'eel havinganinternal ratchet, a. "The main frame consistsfo'f. a'central orrearupart, B,siipporte'd' pon the axle, and a'droop ing frontfpart,B whiclr projects in front of the inner drive-wheelthat is, the wheel next'the uncut. grass, and issprovided with an upward-1 fly-projecting"standard, b, which carries the w, partly iwsection; of the bifurcated leading-wheel, and also supports thefrontside of the finger-bar frame, as will berhereinafter fully explained. A second upwardly-projecting ratcheted standard, b carries. a litting-lever, which tilts the cutter-bar frame-tote exe-plained. 'The main frame is prowidedfat'a in Figs. 8,9, 10, 11,) to which attcn tioniiis now.

more especially directed. O is-an -a;rrn,;iattached to or formed in one piece with-a=hub or short sleeve, 0, keyed to thehaxlaA. -c is a pawhpivoted to the outer endtofvarmiG, and engaging with the ratchetteetltatwl-ien not withdrawn therefrom. in practice, Lp'refer to make the outer end of this pawh-aand the faces of the ratchet-teeth withrwhich ithe pawl engages, in arcs of a circle, of whichithe pivot c of the pawl is the center, vini order that thereshall be the least possible ,powerrre quired to withdraw the pawl fromtheseteeth when-the machine is in operation.- PD isa tripping-link, carrying at its lowerend azsegment, D with which it is connected-bybracke-ts d. This link is arranged in tiles-same vertical plane with arm 0, its upper" end-being connected with the pawl c, and its eloweriieud slidingin a strap or block, d ,.-secured to; the arm but the segment D althoughsattached to, and carried by, link D, is located; behind arm 0, as shown in Figs. 8, and; 11 hytthe dotted lines. E is a T-piecc,theacen'tral leg of e which is expanded and formedeinto anec centric strap, which incloses anaeccentric,-F, mounted upon rock-shaft G, arraugedbelow the semi-cylindrical rib B of the ,-'fra1ne, and

actuated by the foot-lever H, theaupper-lend of which projects through a slot in'the frame, and within convenient reach of the driyen See Fig. 1.) E E E constitute a yoke,conncted to the T-piece E. The part E of this yokefornis an arc of a circle, the inside diamjeter otkwhich is thesame as the-outside dialheterofithc segunent D, and projects from the vertical plane of-the parts E- E of the yoke, asseeniu Big.

9, and forms a segment-clamp. I Iis a metal plate, having at its rear end a hole, which fits over the shaft G, and carrying near its front end a segment-clam p, 1 substantially like the clamp E. The end I of this plate slides behind the segment D as indicated. F is a cap, to secure cam F and plate I 1 in place on the rockshaft.

The shaft Gris mounted in elongated bear ings or slots e hence, when the parts are in the position shown in the drawings, the clamps E 1 are spread as widely apart as is possible, the shaft G occupying the rear of slot 0, and, of course, permitting the spring D to force the link D and the central part of segment D of these clamps engaging with the outer circumference of segment D, tbrcing it down upon the sleeve U, and withdrawing pawl c from teeth a. The ends of segment-clamps E I approach each other so closely that whenever they are moved toward sleeve 0 they shall gripe segment D in whatever point in its revolution the latter may chance to be.

When preferred, the sleeve 0 may be provided upon one or both ends with flanges c, to confine the clamps in proper position.

Having described the construction and operation of the devices through which the rotary motion of the driving and carrying wheels is communicated to the axle, I will now explain the means by which the rotary motion of the axle is converted into a reciprocating motion, and is imparted to the cutter-bar.

One of the peculiarities of an ordinary-screw movement is this: When the bolt rotates continuously in one direction upon its axis,

the nut, being held from turning with the bolt, moves in a right line, that line being parallel with the axis about which the bolt revolves, one face of the thread of the bolt engaging with and acting upon one face of the thread within the nut throughout the entire extent of one or more convolntions of such thread; and if we have a screw with a right-hand thread extending from end to end, or a left-hand thread from end to end, then the nut will-the screw being rotated continuously in one direction-have a rectilinear motion in one direction only from one end of the screw to the other, this motion being on a line parallel with the axis of the screw.

The object of this part of my invention is to retain all of the desirable features of the screw as a mechanical power, and yet impart to the nut an alternating rectilinear motion in opposite directions from a screw which has a continuous rotary motion; and to do this I have devised what I term a reciprocating screw that is, a screw the thread of which alternates from right to left at short intervals, combined with a nut adapted to engage with and be actuated by such a screw.

The manner of constructing my movement is as follows: Having decided to give to the cutters nineteen reciprocations in each direction by each complete revolution of the driving-wheels, I take a cylinder of the proper diameter, say eight inches in diameter, and proceed to lay out nineteen right-hand threads K, and nineteen left-hand threads K, around its circumference. These lines will, of course, form nineteen points of intersection upon the circumference of the block, as indicated by the light and heavy shade lines in Fig. 5, these lines forming the pattern or outline of the periphery of the screw; and by cutting down from the circumference to the center upon radial lines, following this pattern, I form the central helicoidal part K, which is then cast in metal and keyed to the axle, an edge view of which is seen in Fig. 4. Any desired number of reciprocations at each revolution of the screw may be produced by increasing or diminishing the number of the threads. The reciprocating casing or nut is formed of three sections, L L M, the inner face of each section L L corresponding substantially to either side of the helicoidal part K (See Figs. 4, 5, 6.) Each section of the nut is provided with a central opening, Z, and lugs Z, having bolt-holes. M is the central section or casingring, to which the outer sections are secured by bolts m. m m are trunuions cast upon ring M. m is a packing, to make the nut retain oil, as will be explained. N N is a bifurcated lever, carrying at its lower end a wrist-pin, n. This lever is made of two comparatively .thin plates or bars of metal. N is a butler-guard attached to the lever N N near its lower end. My object in applying this guard to the lever is to provide a wide flat surface upon each side of the lever, instead of the thin edges of the bar's of which the lever is constructed, to engage with buffers, to be hereinafter described, a flat surface being better adapted for this purpose than the thin edges, which would be liable to cut and abrade the rubber of which I' propose to make the buffers.

The nut or casing L L M is mounted in this lever, the trunnions m being seated in suitable perforations near the rear end. N is a buffer-guard, secured to thc lever near its frontend, preferably by means of a set-screw, n.

0 0 is a tubular standard, adjustably secured to the frame of the machine by means of bolts, which pass through slots 0 in the base-plate O. This standard is located immediately in rear of-the reciprocating movement.

0 is a round shaft or pivot, supported in the upright tubular portion of the standard. The projecting ends of this shaft are squared, and enter rectangular slots 11, in lever N N, the lever being secured to the shaft by means of nuts 0 0 are bearing-blocks, arranged in slots a in front of the pivot under the adjustment of parts shown .inthe drawings.

From the above description it will-he seen that when the pawl c is engaged with the ratchet, as shown, a forward movement of the machine will produce .a, rotary movement of the part K in the same direction as that of v the driving-wheels A, and will produce a reciprocating movement of the nut L L M, and a vibratory movement of the-leverN N about i the shaft 0 as a center, which motion is imparted totheucutter bar P through the pitmanP Should it be desired to lengtheuthe throw or traverse of the cutters beyond that produced under the adjustment shown in the drawings,

it can be done by moving the pivot O and its supporting-sta1 1dard nearer to the nut or casingL L M, thus shortening thatpart of the leverbetwcen its fulcrum (the pivot 0 and f theztrunnions no, at which latter point the power is applied; andin order that a proper working relation betweelrthe reciprocating screw and its nut shall not bedisturbed by said adjust-. merit, a thicknessequal to the advance of the pivot must be taken from each of the'bearingblockso and beplaced between the ends of the pivots and the rear walls of: the slots a of the lovers. v

The ends-of pivot"( being squared, as are slots W, with the bearing blocks 0 fitting closely-thereto, it is apparent that the pivot will oscillate or vibrate with the lever, and that there'will be very'little wear or friction; upon these parts. l v Theopening l is a little larger than the axle A, and asthe'nutland lever N N are wholly :supported; upon the pi'votU, the nut is entirely suspended from both the axle and the screw; and as the lower portion of the space I within the nut is filled with oil, the screw runs in theoil, andappliesitto the upper parts of the nut, thus the friction is very slight.

In addition to the fact that this reversed threadupon both the screw and the nut reduces-the friction and'increases thed'urability of the device, it also enables me to make the parts very-niuch thinner and lighter than I could otherw'isedo, this corrugated form making theparts much stronger, \viththe same amount ofmeta'l, thanany other of which 1 ,have'knowledge.

Near. the lower end'of lever N N, Iarrange' two buffers, a n3, preferabl y of rubber, against each of whichftheguard N alternately strikes, thus materially assistingthe screw and but at each end of the throw of the lever. The wrist pin 19, Fig. 12, is arranged eccentrically to its- .sh'ank, p, which is, by preference, square, o'c- ,tagonal, or otherwise many-sided in cross-section, and issecured by a nut in a correspondingly-shaped'hole in a-lug, 11 on the-heel end of the cutter-bar P, the pitmanheing coni nected withthe wrist-pin p and lever-pin n by ball-and-socket joints, or "any .otheriusual or approved means.

--frame, but not shown.

The leading-wheel R is-mounted upon an axle projecting from the lower end of a plate,

R, which slides vertically in grooves in the standard b of the frame,.( ceFig';1,) and is adjusted vertically therein b'y means of a setscrew, or otherwise. Thus the front end of the frame, which corresponds substantially to the shoe in ordinary mowing-machines, may be set at anydesired height from the ground.

The cutting apparatus is attached to and projects laterally from a cutterframe, which is constructed, mounted, and operated as follows, particular reference being made to Fig.2: It consists of a flanged or grooved portion, S, and two inner lugs or .cars, S S each provided with a circular bearing. The rear groove receives and supports the finger-bar, the heel of the cutter-bar or one of the knifesections vibrating through or into the front slot or groove. The front ear or lug S of the cutter-frame is mounted nponone end of a T- shaped stud-pin, .9 the head of which is supported in a recess or way, b, formed for its reception in the inner portion b of the front drooping end of the main frame, the stud-pin being free to rise and fall within certain limits in. the recess 1). The rear lugS is mounted upon one end of a pivotal rockshaft, s s T T T is a finger-bar lever, attached to the inner end of the pivotal rock-shaft s s. The parts T T of the lever are in substantially parallel planes, and are connected by an intermediate section, T arranged at about a right angle to the parts T T and provided with ratchet-teeth t. That'part of the rockshaft which is shown in section in Fig. 2 is expanded centrally into a globular bearing, and is seated in a recess in an arm, b of the main frame, and is pivoted to this arm for a further support, the inner end 8 being supported in a bearing upon the under side of the The object in making this inner end curved is to brin'gthat point which rests in the last-mentioned bearing into a linecoincident with the pivot 8 so that when'the rock-shaft is actuated by lever T T T" to rock or tilt the cutter-frame, as indicated by the dotted lines y, Fig. 2, there shall be no undue cramping of parts.

V is the lifting-lever, actuating the rockshaft V -and crank-arm V V is a chain connecting crank-arm V with an eye on the cutter-frame. 'v is a spur projecting at. a right angle from crank-arm V The TOOK-Shaft) V is journaled at one end in the segment-standard b the curved upper surface of the standard forming an arc of a circle, of which the rock-shaft is the center, and having notches, into which the spring thumb-latch W takes. In Fig. 1 the spur 'v occupiesa vertical position, as does the lever V, audit is apparent that when this lever is drawn backward into a nearly horizontal position, for the purpose of tilting the cutting apparatus upon the pivots 8 '8 the spur '0 will be turned upward into a nearly horizontal position; and that when the cutting apparatus has been placed in a nearly vertical position, it (the cutting apparatus) may be tilted backward by means of tilting-lever T T T so that the finger-bar shall engage with spur o, and be thereby sccurely locked in place for transportation. (See Fig. 2.) In this figure the full lines represent the cutting apparatus as being locked in an upright position, the section-lines indicating the cutter-frame as being down for mowing-the dotted lines y also the movement of the tilting-lever and the pivots s s in rocking or tilting up the points of the guard-finger B when the machine is in operation.

U is a spring, hook, or latch, pivoted to the tongue to support the front end of the main frame and the cutting apparatus when desired.

The curved form of the drooping front end B of the frame insures that this portion of the frame shall serve to sweep the grass which has been cut on the previous round in toward the center of the machine, out of the path of inner driving-wheel-that is, the wheel next to the uncut grass.

By turning the shank of the pin p in its seat in the lug p the distance of the cutterbar P from the vibrating lever N may be so adjusted as to maintain a proper working relation between the cutters and the guard-fire gers, as will be readily understood without further explanation.

By arranging the ratchet-teeth and pawl near the rim of the driving-wheel, I almost entirely avoid the lost motion which is incident to all of the backingratchets which are located near the hub of the wheel or upon one of the gear-wheels.

Having so fully explained the construction and function of the various parts of my machine, no detailed description of its general operation need be given, as this will be fully comprehended by those who are familiar with mowers.

The tongue is provided at the rear end with a yoke or bracket, the downwardly-projecting ends of which are perforated, and are mounted upon lugs upon the arms which project rearward from the main frame. Both of these lugs are cast upon the same side of the arms. In the drawings they are shown upon the righthand side of these arms. The ends of the ton gue-strap or yoke are then slipped over the studs, the tongue being raised into a nearlyvertical position, in order that the clamp on the yoke may slip past the arms; and when,

the'tongue is let down into a horizontal position, this clamp shuts inside of the arm, and thus confines the yoke upon the studs.

I disclaim anything shown or claimed in my Patent No. 111,633, dated February 7, 1871, for improvement in harvesters.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with the driving-wheel A, provided with the ratchet-teeth a, of the arm C, rigidly connected with the axle, the

pawl c, and tripping-link D, for withdrawing the pawl from the ratchet-teeth and permitting the wheel A to revolve without actuating the cutters, substantially asset forth.

2. The combination of the segments D E 1 plates E I, and cam F with rock-shaft G, for operating pawl a, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with rock-shaft G, cam F, and perforated plate I, of the bearing 0, of greater size than shaft'G', whereby the segment-clamps E I may both be movedin opposite directions with a single cam, F, substantially as set forth.

4. The herein-describedreciprocating-screw movement, consisting-0f the part K, each of whose faces is formed of two series of intersecting warped surfaces of the helicoid rigidly attached to theaxle, and the reciprocating nut or casing -actingas a cam-block, the inner faces of which are suited to the conformation of the part K substantially as set forth.

5. Incombinationwith the central part M of the nut, provided with trunnions m, the bifurcated lever N N, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with thebifurca-ted lever N N, the adjustable standard '0 '0, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with the lever N and tubular standard 0 0 th e pivot 0 connected to and oscillating witlrthe lever, substantially as set-forth.

8. In combination with the-lever N, provided with slots 11 and the pjvot 0 the bear- 'ing-blocks 0 substantially as .setforth.

9. In combination with-the bifurcated lever N N, composed of bars-or-plates of metal, the buffer-guard N, constructe'dwo operate substantially as set forth.

10. In combination with-the-v-ibrating lever N, the buffers n secured in-boxes'or sockets cast upon the frame BB substantially as set forth.

11. A cast-metal harvester-frame, provided with adrooping -front-portion, B, adapted to sweep the cut grass from the path of one of ?he supporting-wheels, substantially as set orth.

12. A cast=metal harvester frame, provided with a grooved standard, b, in combination with the leading-wheel R, mounted upon the adjustable -plateR,whieh slidesin the grooved standard -b, substantially aszsetibrth.

13. The cutlzer-framefi s S ,'.provided with slots to receive the finger-bar andthe cutters,

substantially as setforth.

14. In combination with :the cutter-frame, the pivotal rock-shaft s s anda tiltinglever attached to and actuating the rock-shaft, substantially as set forth.

15. The tilting-lever having the part T arranged below the main frame, the part '1 arranged above the frame, and the toothed part T vibrating through the frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FARR GOODWIN.

Witnesses:

E. O. WEAVER, H. H. DOUBLEDAY. 

